2008 Stanley Cup playoffs enter second round

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 

The Stanley Cup

Eight teams will enter the next round of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs as two games on Tuesday completed the first set of playoff games.

The Philadelphia Flyers' Joffrey Lupul scored against the Washington Capitals shortly into overtime on Tuesday winning with a 3-2 final score in the seventh game of their first round series. The Flyers will face the Montreal Canadiens in the next round of the playoffs on Thursday.

In the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks were victorious in their first round series against the Calgary Flames after a 5-3 win. These teams also required the full set of seven playoff round games. The Sharks will meet the Dallas Stars when their next playoff round begins on Friday.

Second-round playoff games for the remaining eight teams begin late this week. The rounds for Montreal-Philadelphia and Colorado-Detroit begin on Thursday while the New York-Pittsburgh and Dallas-San Jose rounds begin on Friday. Teams must win four games out of a maximum seven per round.

First round summary

Here are the results of the other first round contests:

Eastern Conference

• The Montreal Canadiens advance to the semifinals after their win over the Boston Bruins on Monday. The seventh series game ended with Montreal scoring a 5-0 shutout.

• Despite an initially successful start to the hockey season, the Ottawa Senators were sent on summer vacation with a four-game sweep by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

• The New York Rangers won their series as the New Jersey Devils could only manage one game win.

Western Conference

• The Detroit Red Wings won their series over the Nashville Predators 4 games to 2.

• Colorado Avalanche won over Minnesota Wild in a 4-2 series.

• Dallas Stars won against Anaheim Ducks, 4-2 for their series.

Series chart

	Conference Quarterfinals					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	Montreal Canadiens	4
	8	Boston Bruins	3
						1	Montreal Canadiens
						6	Philadelphia Flyers
	3	Washington Capitals	3
	6	Philadelphia Flyers	4
												To be determined
	Eastern Conference
											To be determined
	2	Pittsburgh Penguins	4
	7	Ottawa Senators	0
						2	Pittsburgh Penguins
						5	New York Rangers
	4	New Jersey Devils	1
	5	New York Rangers	4
																	To be determined
																	To be determined
	1	Detroit Red Wings	4
	8	Nashville Predators	2
						1	Detroit Red Wings
						6	Colorado Avalanche
	3	Minnesota Wild	2
	6	Colorado Avalanche	4
												To be determined
	Western Conference
											To be determined
	2	San Jose Sharks	4
	7	Calgary Flames	3
						2	San Jose Sharks
						5	Dallas Stars
	4	Anaheim Ducks	2
	5	Dallas Stars	4

Sources

• National Hockey League official site, retrieved April 23, 2008
• Sports Illustrated: NHL front page, retrieved April 23, 2008
• "Matchups set for second round of NHL playoffs" — CBC News, April 23, 2008
• Donna Spencer. "Calgary Flames feeling first-round blues again in NHL playoffs" — Canadian Press, April 23, 2008
• Howard Fendrich. "Flyers beat Capitals in OT: Philadelphia will face the Canadiens" — Associated Press, April 22, 2008
• "Lupul OT heroics advance Flyers to Montreal" — CBC News, April 22, 2008